General Portfolio Guidelines
- No limit to the number of pieces, but aim to show at least 6 examples of your best and most recent work
- Do not password protect your portfolio and do not share any work that is currently under NDA
- Test that your portfolio is accessible, any included links are working, and images are high enough res to view fine detail
- Always remember your audience and cater to them when you can; we’ve included recommendations for specific portfolios below (both by discipline and by brand)
- If you’re working in multiple styles, be sure to categorize or label accordingly so we know your range (i.e. having both an illustration section and a character design section on the same website if you do both)
- Make it easy for us to contact you with clearly posted email or email submission form built directly into your site
- Fan art is welcome! If you have a lot of fan art, we recommend including original compositions or unique scenarios that show you can expand upon an existing IP and capture likeness well
- Sketches and other process work encouraged
- Portfolios including artwork created with generative AI will not be considered
Illustration
- We are looking for strong fundamentals in anatomy, mature rendering, materiality, use of color, proportions, figure-ground relationship, believable lighting, creative use of camera angles, etc. across a broad range of styles
- In addition to final illustrations, we’re also looking for representative examples of your whole creative process from references, thumbnail sketches, color comps, roughs, etc.; it’s important to show that you can take feedback well and pivot direction as needed based on the vision of an art director
Magic: The Gathering (MTG)
- Magic art is often expressed through high fantasy realism but also branches out into more stylized, bespoke artistic treatments, so artists of all styles are encouraged to submit
- When working with a brand partner’s IP, their feedback and approval are critical and can dictate the style of art needed for a card set
- Regardless of style, we’re looking for cinematic, dynamic, evocative pieces that will read well at card size (we only have a 2” window!) and support the card’s game mechanic
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)
- We’re looking for illustrative pieces that tell a story and invite the viewer into a world that sparks their own imagination
- When working with a brand partner’s IP, their feedback and approval are critical and can dictate the style of art needed
- D&D art is often expressed through high fantasy realism but also has many tones and art styles that can vary even within a single setting, so artists of all styles are encouraged to submit
Concept Art
- Ability to showcase thought process and problem-solving skills in addition to your final product is a must
- Inclusion of references, notes, studies, different angles, material exploration, and why specific design choices were made in the portfolio are recommended
- Include iterations and sketches in addition to final rendered pieces; we’re looking to see that you can ideate on a vision (often not your own) and produce options that are fresh and inventive, pushing the concept forward
Cartography
- We’re looking for everything from tactical, isometric, and geographic maps, as all are key to our game play; styles can vary within those categories from playful to utilitarian to highly illustrated and beyond